Welcome to my electronic portfolio as Principal at Lutsel K’e Dene School in the Northwest Territories. I have been working in this community for 9 years now, and have been Principal for 8 years – minus my Educational leave year 2011-2012. This portfolio will primarily highlight the work that we have done this year 2012-2013, but also some of the great experiences and achievements of the staff and students of Lutsel K’e over the past number of years will be evident.
I first came to Lutsel K’e as the Manager, principal teacher and curriculum developer for the Bush School in 2003-2004. From that experience I bring a strong dedication to the meaningful integration of the Dene culture into the curriculum and structure of the school . The preservation of the Chipewyan language and culture, involvement of the parents, elders and community in the work of the school, and the support of students as they grow into strong Dene people, confident in their identity, and prepared with a good education has been our priority. The foundation of this work has been the on-going improvement of student academic achievement through the implementation of the Leadership for Literacy Initiative beginning in 2007-2008 school year with the hiring of a full time Literacy Coach in the school.
The founding belief of our Literacy work is that students need to be competent in all literacy dimensions – language, mathematics, media, and culture. Research over the past 25 years has demonstrated very clearly (see UNESCO 2012-2013) that good literacy skills are critical for young people to enjoy a healthy, successful, stable, and meaningful life where they can contribute to their community and achieve their goals. Education is critical in breaking the cycle of poverty and is the key to healthy grassroots community development.
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